Cameras can be tricky beasts, especially when you are first starting out.
The first time someone said the word “aperture” to me, I had owned my DSLR for a few weeks and, blushing, I shrugged my shoulders and said that I was just interested in the art of photography, not the technicalities. Then I blushed from my toes to my hairline – or maybe all the way through my hair. I was super embarrassed. Fast forward three and a half years and I say the word “aperture” as much as I say the words “I should probably fold the laundry”- only I probably say “aperture” more.
Learning the technical side of photography opened up all kinds of artistic doors for me. I absolutely love having complete control over my camera and the photographs that I produce. It’s an artistic and photographic high and I never, ever take my camera off of Manual because I just adore it. Like many photographers, I also choose to shoot in RAW since shooting in RAW gives me more control over my images in post processing. However, I was not always the photographer I am now (and definitely not the photographer I will be in three years!) and, to get where I am now, I chose to learn to shoot Manual in JPEG.
I know. In some ways, it makes more sense to learn to shoot Manual in RAW. If you shoot in JPEG and haven’t mastered the exposure triangle, you’re going to have to trash a lot of photographs. But! Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. It’s going to be a little brutal, but it’s going to help you learn faster. And so! I’ve compiled five reasons why shooting in JPEG will help you learn Manual faster than shooting in RAW.
1. In JPEG, if you underexpose a photograph, the photograph is going to stay underexposed. While you can definitely edit JPEG photographs, you can’t save them like you can save a RAW photograph. That means that if the photograph is poorly exposed, chances are it’s going to get trashed. This will teach you proper exposure faster because you will be more concerned with getting the photographs right in camera and you will not rely on post-processing to save less-than-stellar images.
2. JPEGs have much smaller file sizes than RAW. This means that you can shoot a lot more JPEG files on a single memory card than you can shooting RAW. It’s so important to practice when learning anything and, when you are just starting out, it’s sometimes going to take dozens of shots to get a single properly exposed photograph. The smaller file size allows you to keep those photographs in the same place and will also allow you to take more photographs, giving you more practice .
3. Shooting in JPEG will save you time. JPEG files transfer to memory cards faster and transfer to computers faster, giving you more time to review your images and less time waiting for them to load. This will let you review your work faster, which is so important when you are learning what works and what doesn’t work.
4. Your JPEG images, if taken correctly, will be prettier straight out of the camera. JPEG files are compressed in a way that RAW files are not. Because of this, JPEG files are often brighter and more colorful than a RAW file. When you are learning to shoot, you should be learning to shoot. Post processing skills are a whole new can of worms and, the better your SOOC (straight out of camera) images are, the less time you will have to spend processing them. This will carry over when if you decide to switch over to RAW later on.
5. Learning to shoot Manual with JPEG files will give you experience in JPEG. We are afraid of things we do not try. Before I shot in RAW, I was scared to shoot in RAW. I loved JPEG! However, when I realized I wanted to do more creative processing with my images rather than the clean edits I had been doing, I knew that I needed to switch. I now have solid experience shooting in both and feel educated enough in them to not get riled up in a JPEG v. RAW conversation (and there are LOTS of these discussions in the photography world!).
Shooting in JPEG was one of the best decisions I made in my photography career. Shooting in JPEG saved me time, helped me learn proper exposure, and gave me the confidence I needed while learning to shoot Manual. I can honestly say that, if I had not learned Manual in JPEG, I would not have the same control over my photographs that I now do. So try it! You might just like it!
Do you recommend strictly taking photos in JPEG format, or is using the JPEG and RAW format also beneficial? How did you know you were ready to make the switch?
I think this is interesting. I actually learned to shoot Manual in JPEG – because I didn’t know the difference until I took LR 101 here on CM! Do I need to shoot in RAW now? I’ve been thinking about that lately. Do you think people starting out in photography are relying on fixing exposure in post because they are shooting RAW? Hmmm 🙂 Good article!
Crystal- I recommend solely shooting JPEG. Otherwise, you’ll have a lot more files to go through. 😉
Kristin- Thanks! I know of several awesome photographers that shoot solely JPEG so I don’t think that anyone has to switch. I only switched to RAW when I wanted to pursue creative editing and not just clean edits. But! All of the photos in this article were shot in JPEG and I do still sometimes shoot JPEG for everyday photographs.
Great advice! I’m still a beginner and get overwhelmed with what there is to learn with photography, never mind the PP. I’m procrastinating with PP until I feel I’ve mastered SOOC better.
great article, maybe I need to go back and shoot more in JPEG for awhile again!
I hadn’t really considered this topic, but you make a lot of great points. I may switch back to jpeg. 🙂 Thanks for you insight!
Interesting perspective and a lot of great points!! Thanks for taking the time to share.
What a terrific, information-packed article! I’m going to start shooting only in manual tomorrow. Thanks for the inspiration.
I shoot JPEG’s for almost identical reasons that you do, and I”ve been feeling a bit guilty about it, although still confident that my images don’t suffer at all. I pride myself on getting the shots close to perfect SOOC, and I don’t have time to process RAW files. THank you for a great article!
I’m a JPEG shooter too and I’m happy with it, maybe because my love for film. So don’t listen to the “Raw Church”, simply use what best works for you
Great article. I’m about to start shooting my first full season for a local rugby team. I always shoot raw and have done for over a decade, but I intend to shoot jpeg for this so that I don’t end up spending hours at the PC after each game. It’s a little daunting, but I’m also excited to be shooting this way.
I like JPEG. Instant results and you can still do quite a lot of retouching if you really like a photo. I’ve tried both but found I was rarely even looking at all my RAW files, let alone processing them. Just too much time/hassle. Using my camera a lot more once I got over the feeling that I had to do everything like a pro.
I shoot jpeg all the time on my Fuji’s. But I do have raw on the back button for one off Raws
if the lighting is a bit dodgy?